UT Football
© Lauren Greenfield“Win or lose, we’re going to drink ALL of this booze!” proclaimed Tim Lucas, a tailgater from Austin, Texas, who painted his face and dressed himself head to toe in Longhorns’ burnt-orange paraphernalia. Speaking on behalf of the nearly 95,000 people in attendance at the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, California, Lucas was focused on the tailgate partying as much as the game itself. About half of those in attendance were rooting for the No. 2 ranked Texas Longhorns against the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide for the 2010 BCS National Championship of college football, the Superbowl of the collegiate sports world.
For some Texas fans, celebrating was a posh affair beginning the eve of the game with a private concert by Lyle Lovett at the swanky Mondrian Hotel. Located on the famed Sunset strip, mascot Bevo, the 1,800 lbs. Texas longhorned bull, was standing guard next to the hotel’s valet station. For fans like Tim Lucas who traveled in a rented RV supplied with cheap champagne and beer, just being at the game was like hitting the lottery; nothing, besides Texas winning, could make him happier.
Others arrived in multi-million dollar tour buses decked out with school colors, giant flat screen televisions, BBQ grills, and fridges fully stocked with meat and beer. Those without a motor home of their own or even a ticket to the game arrived in pickup trucks hauling sofas and charcoal grills. They wanted to replicate the comforts of a living room along side all the other fanatics rooting for their respective schools. In the end, the Texas fans left disappointed, as the Crimson Tide defeated the Longhorns 37-21. For diehards like Tim Lucas, the only real loss they suffered was listening to the repetitive chorus of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” sung by the buoyant ‘Bama fans.
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